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tyranodette

planting melons

tyranodette
14 years ago

I am planning on trellis planting several types of melons on approximately 3 acres. I was told it can't be done, there will be cross pollination. I need 1/4 mile separating the types of melons. Is this true.

Comments (2)

  • the_monk
    14 years ago

    Sadly enough that is true.. "Most" melons will pollinate one another however. That's only a bad thing if your intending on keeping seeds from your own crop to replant the following seasons. This seasons crop will not be affected in any way shape or form. Rather the seeds growing inside will be " crossbred or hybridized" Depending on which melons you choose to plant will be your biggest issue.. (30lbs. of melon multiplied by a few gets heavy FAST) I've had gourds that were 12-16 lbs that hung from their own vine and did just fine. But too heavy could snap the vine and trellis. That of course leads into type of trellis etc. So yes I would say it's totally possible, just going to be bound by gravity,supporting, and cash-flow. Just remember that melons like gourds,squash are all heavy feeders and serious water drinkers. So where vine meets soil it needs to be seriously ready to support that sort of growth.

  • tyranodette
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    I picked 12 varieties of melon and 5 watermelon. Anything 5 pounds and under are going on trellises. rest is going on black plastic on the ground. I plan to narrow it down to the one melon and watermelon that does the best for next year. This year is more of an edible experiment, hopefully. I plan to support the fruit with netting and plant the seeds in 5 gallon buckets with 1/3 sand, 1/3 dried horse manure and 1/3 dirt. Is there a problem with the vines breaking when trellis growing?

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